A blank piece of paper is pure magic. With strokes of a pen, an entire universe comes to life. Beauty that surpasses even artistry fills the expanses of the imagination.

First, a never-ending garden with the greenest, tallest grass, aging Willow trees, and roses every colour of the rainbow. Lilacs befriended by young hummingbirds grow alongside a well-worn path of red brick. It smells gloriously earthy, of air just cleaned by a spring rain. This secret paradise is the escape of an 8-year-old girl, Anna. She is a short and quiet, but the state of her clothing speaks volumes. Her bright sundress hiked to her knees, she marches through the waist-high meadow, unashamed of the grass stains covering her white tights. ………

The imagination is the most powerful tool a person can possess. I learned this early in life. Poverty? I didn’t know that I was using paper and reading books because …